But that's not what lawmakers passed on Friday night. Instead, they voted on a one-week extension that will slash $2 billion in spending from transportation and housing programs.

Lawmakers had to pass the one-week bill because the larger compromise measure hadn't been written yet.

Details are sketchy as to what will be included in the longer compromise bill. It will set spending levels $38.5 billion lower than at the beginning of the year; that much is known. But the specific program cuts remain unclear.

And really, it's not going to cut an additional $38.5 billion. That headline number includes $12 billion in cuts that were included in three prior short-term funding resolutions. That leaves lawmakers looking for $26.5 billion to cut from agencies and programs.

Already lawmakers have trimmed $12 billion from around the edges of the 2011 budget. That meant an end to programs that provided funds for broadband access in rural communities, education, highway construction and the Smithsonian Institution, among other things.

Congressional staffers are now putting the finishing touches on the legislation, and details should be released late Monday night.

That sets up a vote late in the week. The new deadline hits the end of Friday, for those still keeping track.

In Buffalo, New York, the city is selling vacant homes for a $1 to those who are willing to fix them up and live in them for a few years. But as many buyers soon find out, the cost to renovate these super cheap properties can quickly add up. More